GNU bug report logs - #44960
date --expose-flags

Previous Next

To add a comment to this bug, you must first unarchive it, by sending
a message to control AT debbugs.gnu.org, with unarchive 44960 in the body.
You can then email your comments to 44960 AT debbugs.gnu.org in the normal way.

Toggle the display of automated, internal messages from the tracker.

Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: date --expose-flags
Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2020 21:21:45 +0800

I got this brilliant idea.
Let's say one likes the output of

$ date --iso-8601=seconds
2020-11-30T21:15:47+08:00

but wants to know "how you did it?"

Hmmm, no assistance from
$ date --iso-8601=seconds --debug
2020-11-30T21:15:50+08:00

Ah, if only there were a:
$ date --iso-8601=seconds --expose-flags
date +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%z

Then one needn't use trial and error to figure out the template being
used behind the scenes!

date (GNU coreutils) 8.32

Message #8 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: date --expose-flags
Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2020 21:24:28 +0800

date +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%z
                        ^I meant %:z

> Then one needn't use trial and error

(Driving my point home.)

Message #11 received at 44960 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
To: 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson <jidanni <at> jidanni.org>,
 44960 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#44960: date --expose-flags
Date: Mon, 30 Nov 2020 19:10:57 +0000

On 30/11/2020 13:21, 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson wrote:
> I got this brilliant idea.
> Let's say one likes the output of
> 
> $ date --iso-8601=seconds
> 2020-11-30T21:15:47+08:00
> 
> but wants to know "how you did it?"
> 
> Hmmm, no assistance from
> $ date --iso-8601=seconds --debug
> 2020-11-30T21:15:50+08:00
> 
> Ah, if only there were a:
> $ date --iso-8601=seconds --expose-flags
> date +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%z
> 
> Then one needn't use trial and error to figure out the template being
> used behind the scenes!

A useful idea.
I'll add that with the following.

thanks,
Pádraig

commit 17af226bd80db3376e9137384c1ba14a8d94c434 (HEAD -> master)
Author: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
Date:   Mon Nov 30 19:06:59 2020 +0000

    date: with --debug, output the format used

    * src/date.c (main): The format can be determined from
    --options or the locale, so it's useful to output
    the format string being used.
    Addresses https://bugs.gnu.org/44960

diff --git a/src/date.c b/src/date.c
index c33fa3fc5..20af782df 100644
--- a/src/date.c
+++ b/src/date.c
@@ -505,6 +505,9 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
         }
     }

+  if (parse_datetime_flags & PARSE_DATETIME_DEBUG)
+    error (0, 0, _("using date format %s"), quote (format));
+
   char const *tzstring = getenv ("TZ");
   timezone_t tz = tzalloc (tzstring);

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.